A Fragmented Mind
by potterfan36041
Summary: The Machine Empire has odd ways of messing with the rangers brains. The ranger they choose fights, but will the rangers be able to bring her back? AU REPOST
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or any other characters at this point in this story.

AN: Also, I know this story is just beginning from no where, but unless I get a brillant idea on how to introduce it, this is just going to have to do for now.

"Zordon, we have a huge problem," Jason said as he and four of the other six rangers walked into the Command Center, in no mood to be turned away. They had just received some very shocking news about one particular ranger and Zordon was the only one that could help them and her. No one else that they knew would be able to do that and be able to keep the whole affair a secret.

"It is not the first time that you have said that. What is troubling you, Jason?" Zordon asked, as Jason let out a sigh. The news he had just recieved bothered him more than anything he had had to deal with so far. He had been through so much since he had gotten back here and he knew that they were about to go through something that could honestly rip the team apart at the seams. He knew none of them were ready for that type of problem, but now it sat there before them and they had to figure out a way to handle it all.

"Kim's been put in a psychiatric facility in Florida by her gymnastics coach," Jason said as Zordon's eyes widened, which was something that they had never seen happen before. He usually knew about things well before they told him, but he was honestly surprised at this news.

"Alpha, the viewing globe," Zordon said and Alpha quickly pulled up a picture, which indeed revealed Kim to be in a psychiatric facility in Florida. All of them knew that they were under stress as rangers and could have an emotional breakdown at any time, all of them had had them. The problem now was that the psychiatric facility didn't know the whole story, didn't know what else could cause it and would not be able to cure her, from what they had been able to gather. "Oh my. Jason where's Tommy?"

"Juice Bar, he's been moping ever since Kim sent him that letter," Kat said frankly as Jason then shook his head. He had no clue why Kat was being so bitter about this. They had all thought that Kim had been a little bit out of her mind when she sent the letter in the first place. Now they knew that she was and hopefully they would be able to help her and they would be able to salvage Kim and Tommy's relationship.

"A broken heart is hard to mend," Zordon said as they all looked at the screaming Kimberly, which caused them to look up at Zordon. He must have something up his sleeves to help them with this problem. He had to, otherwise he would not be entertaining them any longer. "But for her sake, you must try to get Tommy here and prepared for what is happening to her. We will be bringing her here as soon as we can."

"Yes, Zordon," Jason said and he turned to leave, while some remained, fixed in their spots by the difference that they could see in the former pink ranger. There was no way to prepare Tommy for what was going on with her and that was what Zordon was asking them to do; to prepare Tommy to see a completely different woman.

"Tommy!" Kimberly yelled at the top of her voice as she walked around the stark white room. The doctors had already given her one injection, but nothing had seemed to help her. They had never had a patient that was still standing after being given that dosage of the medicine and they were afraid to give her more, in case she overdosed. "Tommy!"

"Does anyone know who Tommy might be?" Dr. Angela Bills asked as the nurses scanned through her file again, but they didn't find anything new. There was not a Tommy mentioned anywhere.

"Nope, not mentioned anywhere. The poor dear, she had such a bright future," Betty said as the file revealed plenty of other things that had been going on in her life. There was nothing to explain the psychiatric break that had occurred two weeks earlier. There was no trauma in her life, she was actually excelling at the gymnastics program, and she had a good moral support system from home. There was absolutely no reason that she should be in this building right now and they were having to try to figure out why she was there in the first place.

"She'll still have a good life. We just have to figure out a way to make her remember it all," Dr. Bills said as she shook her head. They were going to have to try some odd types of treatments for this one and that was not something that the board was likely to agree with, but they had to try. She was just too young to give up on her after all the conventional methods did not work.

"Zordon how are we going to 'steal' Kim right from under their noses?" Billy asked, as he finished watching the viewing globe. He was most disturbed by all of this, as he was sure that the Machine Empire had had some sort of involvement in this. Kimberly would not just lose her mind because she was stressed; she had been through worse stress as a ranger and had not cracked under the pressure.

"Simply. We will teleport her here for treatment and take her back when the time is right," Zordon said as Alpha began teetering between panels, punching in the necessary codes. "That is, if she wishes to go back to Florida. I doubt she will after this ordeal is over, to be honest."

"How will they not notice?" Billy asked, as he was sure the silence would be odd after all of the screaming that had been occurring lately.

"Leave the details to us. Now, I wish you would join you fellow rangers in talking to Tommy. We are going to need him, in order to get Kimberly back," Zordon said as Billy nodded his head and then turned to leave the Command Center.

"Are we really going to do this?" Alpha asked, as they had never stolen someone before.

"Yes, I am afraid that we have no choice about the matter, Alpha," Zordon said and Alpha continued to teeter around and the began punching in the teleportation sequence. This was not going to be easy.

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"Good grief, Tommy," Jason said as he had an empty banana split in front of him and he was working on his second one of the afternoon.

"Jason," Tommy said as Jason looked at him with a look that he could not really read. "I have the right to grieve."

"Yes, you do, Tommy, but we think there is something that you need to know," Kat said as Tommy looked at her. He didn't want to hear a damn thing that came out of her mouth, thank you very much. He just wanted for them to leave him alone and if they would do that, then he would be just fine.

"Kat, I don't care what you have to say, it's not going to make me feel any better," Tommy said as Kat glared at him and he knew that Kim had been the one to patent that stare. He couldn't help but fold under it, just because of that, anything that she had done made him crumble, although it was always coming from other people now.

"Yes, you do. If you didn't care you wouldn't be eating yourself into a numb state every day," Billy said as he walked in and he held an audio recording of what he had just watched. He knew it might be enough to get Tommy to understand, but he could only pray that he would listen to it. "All I ask is that you listen to this. If you still do not care after you hear it…well, we'll get to that later."

"What is it Billy? How could a tape change my mind about how I feel?" Tommy asked, as Billy merely placed the tape in his hands and shoved him towards the tape player.

"You won't want to let everyone else here that, Tommy," Billy said, as Tommy stalked off towards the tape player, turned the volume down, and put the tape in. He couldn't imagine why this tape would be so important to him.

"Take me to her," Tommy said, as he walked over to the rangers and they nodded. They just hoped that Zordon had been able to sort all of this mess out by now.

AN: I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll have a new one out as soon as I can!


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers.

"Alpha, teleport her when you are ready. I have made arrangements for all of her information to come with her. They think that we are a psychiatric facility that her parents would prefer that she be at and we will have to hold that story up. We will be sending reports back to them, to let them know how she is, but she will ultimately choose if she stays," Zordon said, as Alpha pressed the buttons then Kim materialized in front of them, holding her arms to herself, try to rub away the thoughts that were bothering her.

It had been several months since they had seen Kim face to face, but she looked worse than she ever had, even while losing her powers. She was thin and the light that had once shone in her brown eyes was no longer there, it had completely disappeared and had been replaced by hollow cheeks and scared expressions. The new surroundings did not startle her, as she had not looked around, but the false sense that she might remember this place was soon shattered.

"Where am I?" Kim asked as the tears rolled down her cheeks and she began backing away. She had to get back to Tommy and this was no closer to him than before. It didn't make anymore sense for her to be here than where she had been to begin with. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Kimberly, it is Zordon, your mentor. Please do not fight us, we want to help you remember," Zordon said, as Kim began to panic and started looking for a way out of the Command Center.

"Tommy! Help me!" Kim yelled, desperately, as she hit the wall and caused her knuckles to split open and bleed. Zordon did not want to subdue her in a somewhat violent manner, but it seemed that it might escalate to that very quickly. This was not the same Kimberly that he had known months before. "Why won't he come? He always promised that he would."

"Kimberly, we know Tommy," Alpha said as she looked at him and shook her head. He must be lying to her. That was all that the doctors did was lie to her, to try to get her to be quiet.

"You're lying. They told me that they knew him, too," Kim said as she sank down to the floor and covered her face. "Tommy's gone…he's really gone."

"Kim," Zordon said, as she seemed to just ignore him completely. "Who told you that they knew Tommy as well?"

"Sprocket. He said that he knew Tommy and that he would bring me to him, so I could warn him," Kim mumbled miserably and the rangers burst into the Command Center with Tommy leading them. He noticed the changes in her, but he held his tongue, knowing that she had definitely changed since he had last seen her. "No more people! No more doctors! No more poking and prying!"

"Billy, take her to the treatment room and see what you can do," Zordon said, as Tommy tried to get closer, but the others stopped his progress. They didn't think it best for him to automatically go talk to her when he didn't even know the whole story. They didn't really know the whole story, but they knew enough to say that she was in danger. From what? They didn't know, but they could guess what it might have to deal with. "Tommy, you must understand some things before you can see her."

"Anything Zordon, I just want her to get better," Tommy said, as he watched Billy gently help Kim up and walk her back to the treatment room.

He had no clue what Billy was saying to her, but it was calming her down a great deal. That was something that he was thankful for, in more ways than Billy could imagine. Anything that made her feel better was what he wanted, even if it was not him.

"It is worse than I feared. Sprocket has seen Kimberly and I do not think that caused her to have this breakdown, but he promised that he knew Tommy. Tommy, she seems to not recognize anyone or anything here. It is going to be a slow process and she may scream for you when you are around her, you have to reassure her, somehow. You may be her only chance and you might not even be enough," Zordon said, as they all looked at Tommy. Most of them knew what was flashing through his mind, but they doubted Zordon knew what was going through Tommy's mind.

"Is there a possibility that she didn't know that she broke up with me?" Tommy asked and Zordon sighed. He had been afraid that this very question would come up. He honestly did not have an answer for it.

"There is always a chance that she did not know what she was doing, but only time will tell us if that is the truth. You would be best to assume that she did send it under the pretenses that she stated, so that if it is true, you won't suffer as much when she goes back. I know nothing of her life there, expect for the fact that she has had this mental breakdown. Now, if you wish to see her, you may do so," Zordon said and Tommy nodded a thank you to him and ran off in the direction that Billy had disappeared in some minutes before. "The rest of you must watch out for Tommy. He is going to be greatly affected by all of the changes in her."

"Kim, here you go," Billy said, passing her a glass of water with a calming agent in it. The doctors did not know Kim's whole history, so hopefully he and Zordon would be able to subdue the screaming fits and eventually get them to stop. Then they would work on her memory loss, which was very evident to him, although she seemed to be much calmer in his presence.

"Thanks," Kim said as a boy with long black hair walked in and sat down next to her bed with a bright smile on his face. "Who are you?"

"Tommy," Tommy said as Kim gave him a good look and then smiled. It wasn't a smile that held comprehension; it was a smile showing pleasantries, nothing more, nothing less.

"Well, I'm Kimberly Hart. Do you know why I am here? This place is weird," Kim said, as Tommy looked over at Billy, quite desperate. She didn't remember him at all, even though she had been screaming his name mere minutes before.

"You're here because we care about you and we want for you to get better," Tommy said, as her disposition changed slightly and she gave him a thorough look.

"That's what everyone has said to me. Why can't I remember? I should know you, if you care about me," Kim said, desperately trying to remember but nothing would come. She had these periods when she was happy and content about everything around her. Then something would set her off and she would start yelling and screaming for Tommy, but this was not the Tommy she remembered, come to think of it, she didn't even really remember him now.

"I'm easy to forget some times," Tommy said, going along with whatever she said, hoping that it might trigger something inside of her brain. He was not going to force the way he would usually act on her, when she still seemed to be feeling everything out around here.

"You shouldn't be. You are nice looking enough," Kim said miserably as she was becoming aggravated with herself again. "Just leave, I need to remember first."

"Okay," Tommy said, as he gave her hand a squeeze before he walked out. The visit had certainly been much shorter than he would have wished, but he really had no choice about the matter. He knew that this was only the beginning and it was going to be a very slow process, if he was ever going to get her back.

AN: Let me know what you are thinking about this project, the good and the bad.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or any characters concerned in this story thus far.

Sleep was in a rare quantity at the Power Chamber, as Billy looked over at Kimberly who was luckily asleep. It never failed to amaze him how a couple of hours could change things so drastically. The rangers were not in any condition to take another blow, especially Tommy, but if they were able to pull on ranger back it would be worth it. If they lost Kimberly forever, then there was no telling the damage it would do to them.

"Tommy!" Kim yelled as she jerked awake and started looking around the room, frantic to find a friendly face.

"I'll get him," Billy said, not in the least bit surprised that she had yelled out in such a fashion. He had been expecting this to happen for the last few hours, but she had surprised him by being able to actually sleep better here than in the rehabilitation ward.

"Contacting Tommy," Alpha said, as Billy smiled. He knew that Alpha had had to hear the scream, but only Tommy would be able to attempt to stop it all.

"What?" Tommy asked, as he looked over at his clock which read only three. Why in the world was it going off right now? That was when he looked down at his wrist and realized it was another alarm waking him. "Yes."

"Prepare to teleport in, Tommy," Alpha said, as he looked down at what he was wearing and then sighed. There was no use in trying to change, as he knew that he was going to be teleporting away in a few seconds.

"Yes, Alpha," Tommy said, as he stood up and then felt himself being teleported to the Power Chamber. "What's happening?"

"Just come with me," Billy said, as Tommy walked along behind him in his boxers and Billy tried not to laugh. Next time, they might want to give Tommy a little bit longer warning.

"How bad is she?" Tommy asked, as Billy shrugged his shoulders and Tommy heard the shouts for the first time.

"I don't think that she is going to talk to any of us when she is looking for you. We have to reinforce that you are here," Billy said, as they walked into the medical bay and Kimberly looked over at them.

"Listen to me, Tommy," Kim said, looking fully aware of everything around her and everyone that was there. "Sprocket is coming after all of you. I don't know how and I don't know when, but it's getting worse. I'm not the only one they are going to get. They are going to get Trini and Zack as well if you don't get to them soon. Watch out, Tommy. I don't know how much longer they'll stay away."

"What do you mean by stay away?" Tommy asked, as Kim looked at him.

"He's coming back...I won't be here much longer. They are not going to attack you directly, they are going to try to use us," Kim said, as Tommy and Billy exchanged a glance and Kimberly's eyes then shifted and they knew that she no longer recognized Tommy. "Billy, why is he here?"

"He just came by to visit me. Get back to sleep, Kim. You'll need all the rest that you can get," Billy said, as Tommy shook his head. He had seen her again and he knew that she was really there. So why was she being held away from them? Why was she constantly fighting just to get in a few words of warning?

"What's your name?" Kim asked with a bright smile, completely ignoring what Billy had said. "You look really familiar to me."

"Tommy Oliver," Tommy said with a smile as Kim smiled over at him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, even though it is late at night. You should be in bed. I'm sure that you have school or something to do tomorrow," Kim said, as Billy continued to watch them interacting, knowing that Kim might become frustrated at any minute.

"Tomorrow's Saturday and I don't really have anything to do," Tommy said, as Kim just nodded her head.

"Well, why don't you come back tomorrow? I promise that I'll be dressed in better clothes then," Kim said, as Tommy nodded his head that he would and then turned to exit the medical bay. "And Tommy, nice boxers."

"She'll get better, Tommy," Billy said as Tommy just nodded his head. It was hard to think that everything would be fine when it seemed that everything was absolutely horrible around him.

"I know, but how many more times can I introduce myself before she remembers me?" Tommy asked, as Billy shrugged his shoulders.

"I can only hypothesize that the only reason she remembers me is because I no longer have any sort of power. The rest of you are the ones that those invading her brain are trying to get to and she is protecting you by keeping you away. I don't know how she broke away tonight, but the fact that she is able to is reassuring," Billy said, as Alpha and Zordon gazed over at them. The leader and the brain. The two of them wouldn't usually exist in the same worlds, but here they did and the information was the only comfort that the leader could accept.

"You know where to find me, Billy and I'll be back here tomorrow," Tommy said, as he squeezed the sides of his communicator and teleported himself back home.

"The improvements are small, Zordon," Billy said, looking up at him.

"I know, but she shall get better in time. The important thing is that she is here now and that we will be able to actually treat her for her problems. Get some rest, Billy. I am sure that she will yell again if she needs anything," Zordon said and Billy nodded his head and turned to leave.

"How long will it take?" Alpha asked, as Zordon just looked down at him.

"Only time will tell Alpha, in the mean time contact Trini and Zack, we need them back in Angel Grove," Zordon said, as Alpha nodded his head. Now knowing that Kim was not going to be the only ranger targeted allowed them to try to protect Trini and Zack, they could only hope that they would not be too late.

AN: I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll have the next one out as soon as I have a decent idea. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the anything affliated with this story except the plot.

"Morning Sunshine," Billy said, as Kim awoke and was staring around the room, looking rather confused.

"My names not Sunshine, it's Kim, Billy," Kim said, jokingly as Billy smiled at her. At least she remembered his name this morning, he had doubted that would happen in the first place. "Where are some real clothes? I don't want to be wearing this when everyone comes by."

"Who said that someone was going to come by?" Billy asked, as he passed her a bathrobe and she put in on over her nightgown.

"No one, I just have this feeling. So where are we going?" Kim asked, as Billy faintly smiled and then opened the door at the end of the medical bay.

"To the lockers. I am sure that you left some clothing here from when you were a ranger," Billy said, as Kim gave him a confused look and then shook her head.

"Billy, I don't ever remember being here. I just remember you and a few other names keep coming up, but I don't know who they are. Billy, why is this happening?" Kim asked, as Billy walked her into the locker room and she then gasped.

"What? You okay?" Billy asked, surprised that his vocabulary had shrunken so quickly, but he did not think it wise to confuse Kimberly at all right now.

"Yeah, I just wish that I was able to really remember all of this," Kim said, as she was marveled by the vastness of this room. The room was completely new to her, with the long, tubular lockers in six very distinctive colors. There were some that had more than one, but there were others that merely seemed to have changed themselves, as they did not quite glow as strongly or as wholely with their color. "It's wonderful here."

"This is yours," Billy said, stepping up to the deepest pink locker in the room and Kim just looked at it. "Touch it, it'll only open for you."

"Wow. All of this is mine?" Kim asked as she pulled out a pair of jeans and a pink sleeveless shirt, while looking into the depths of the locker.

"Yeah, Kim. I'll be out in the hall if you need anything," Billy said, as he thought it best to leave her alone while she changed.

"Billy," Tommy said, as he walked up behind him and Billy turned around. He had known that Tommy would be there first, but he had not thought he would be there this early.

"Hey, Tommy," Billy said, as he turned around and Tommy gave him a concerned look. "She's communicating well this morning and she seems to be a little bit more comfortable here, but she still hasn't willingly remembered anyone, except me."

"Have they gotten in touch with Trini and Zack yet?" Tommy asked, as Billy shook his head no. He had gone in to see Alpha and Zordon earlier this morning and they were still frantically trying to contact the two of them. They did not want for either of them to fall into this sort of condition in a foreign country, where they were sure the medical help could be different and there was a chance they would not find out.

"They are working on it, this morning they had still failed to find either of them, but Kim's warning will give us a fighting chance. However, we may be fighting more than just the Machine Empire, she might be fighting to keep them from getting Trini and Zack," Billy said, as Tommy nodded his head, that did sound like something she would do.

"I was worried about that," Tommy said, as Billy nodded his head and Kim walked out, completely dressed.

"Hey, Tommy," Kim said, brightly as Billy and Tommy exchanged a glance over her head. "Nice to see you in clothes this time."

"Hey," Tommy said, as Kim gave him a hug and he continued to look at Billy, hoping he would have some sort of idea as to what was happening. She hadn't remembered him the last few times that he had come by, so why had it changed this time.

"I'm going to go talk to Zordon and Alpha. Will the two of you be all right?" Billy asked, importantly as Tommy nodded his head yes, at least that was what he thought.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked, as Tommy thought for a second and then started heading her further into the Power Chamber.

"To the lounge, if that's all right," Tommy said, as Kim nodded her head yes. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but Tommy, it's not going to be like this all the time, I'm going to forget you again. They are giving me more room now and I've been fighting hard, but I don't know if it's enough to keep them away from Trini and Zack much longer. You have to defeat these people, they will get Trini and Zack if you don't. I can't hold out much longer," Kim said, as Tommy nodded his head and Kim leaned against him.

"I've missed you," Tommy whispered, as Kim smiled at him.

"I've missed you, too, but no matter what happens to me, you have to keep fighting. I don't know if all of it will lift then, but it may be the only chance you get," Kim said, as Tommy nodded his head and held her tighter.

"I'll try," Tommy said, as he heard the metal doors at the end of the hall scrape open.

"I know you will. I'm leaving now, Tommy, I love you," Kim said, as her eyes slid out of focus and he closed his eyes, hoping that it hadn't happened again. "Who are you?"

"Tommy Oliver," Tommy choked out, as Billy and the others entered the room and saw Kim looking up at Tommy, confused as to how she had gotten there. "I'm going to go, but I'll be back."

"What's wrong?" Kim asked, as Tommy stood up and walked out past the others without looking back at her. "What's wrong with him, Billy?"

"I'm not sure, Kim," Billy said, as the others looked at Billy. He didn't sound too happy right now, he actually sounded frustrated.

"Who are they?"Kim asked, as Jason turned to leave, while Aisha and Kat covered their mouths in shock. He understood why Tommy had had to leave and they all let out silent sighs.

"This is Aisha, Rocky, Adam, and Katherine," Billy said, as he watched Jason leave to find the red ranger, who was obviously distressed.

"Hey, nice to meet all of you," Kim said, as Aisha and Katherine looked at Rocky and Adam, who were shocked. Billy had said Kim was better this morning, but things must change very quickly in her mind.

"Will you be all right if I leave you with them for a little while?" Billy asked, as Kim nodded her head yes and he then left the room.

"I don't bite," Kim said, playfully and Rocky and Aisha exchanged a glance, then walked over to sit down next to her.

"We know," Aisha said with a bright smile and Kim smiled even bigger.

"Hey, tell Jason that Trini's fine," Kim said, as they looked at her, wondering where that had come from. There friend was there somewhere, but they were not quite sure how to get to her. "That's funny, do you even know a Jason?"

"We do and we'll pass on the message," Adam said, as Kat and he sat down across from them and smiled. There was not much else they could do, but go with whatever she said.

"Tommy, you okay?" Jason asked, walked up to him and he saw Tommy's tear streaked face as he looked over.

"I don't know how many more times I can take it. She remembers then she goes away and I don't know if she'll ever come back," Tommy said, as Jason nodded his head. He had to be sympathetic to it, but this was only the second day and it was sure to get worse before it got better.

"What did she say?" Billy asked, as he knew that if Kim had talked to Tommy, then they were much more likely to have difficulties with him.

"She told me what I had feared the most, she's fighting for Trini and Zack right now. If we don't defeat the Machine Empire soon, I don't know that we'll ever be able to get her back," Tommy said, as Jason and Billy nodded their heads.

"Why are we here?" Trini asked, as she and Zack walked up on the group of three men standing in the darkened hallway.

"Kim," Tommy said, as Trini and Zack looked at her and Jason then realized who it was.

"God, Trini, I'm glad you're all right," Jason said, giving her a hug and Zack looked over at Tommy and Billy, hoping they would answer the question in a better fashion than one word.

"Why are we here?" Zack asked, as Jason looked up and Billy took in a deep breath.

"Kimberly is being mentally controlled by the Machine Empire, we are afraid that they may come after you next," Billy said, as Zack looked at Billy and Trini looked at Jason, then Billy, then finally Tommy.

"Oh, Tommy, I'm so sorry," Trini said, as she looked at him and could tell he needed to talk to someone besides Alpha, Zordon, or any of the other rangers. "Come on, we'll talk."

"Okay," Tommy said, as he walked off behind Trini.

"Maybe she can help him," Jason said, hopefully as Zack and Billy nodded their heads.

"What else is there? This can't be it," Zack said, as Jason and Billy looked at each other, then led him off in a different direction. It would just be better for him to watch the video and let that explain it all to him.

"Tommy, what has she said to you? All of it, Tommy," Trini said as Tommy took in a deep breath. He had known that he would have to talk to Trini when she got there, but he didn't think that it would be right away.

"She warned us that the two of you might be in trouble last night. Then when I got here this morning, she remembered. Then she told me that she was fighting them and also fighting to keep them from getting to you and Zack. I don't know how much longer she'll hold out and the only way it'll stop is if we defeat the Machine Empire," Tommy said, as Trini gave him a thorough look. He was not telling her something.

"What else did she say? Tommy, I have to know it all to be able to help you," Trini said, as Tommy placed his face in his hands. He didn't want to tell her, he didn't want anyone to know because he was not sure if it was a trick or if it was really Kim.

"She told me that she loved me," Tommy choked out as Trini gave him a hug and felt him shake as he cried. "I don't know what to believe anymore Trini. It could be the Machine Empire talking or it could be her."

"I know, but when she told you that, was she still recognizing you?" Trini asked, as she knew that Kim would fight the control with everything she had and having the rangers close by might really help her fight.

"Yeah, but I can't help but wonder, Trini," Tommy said, as Trini looked at him.

"None of us know, Tommy, but we have to trust her when she seems to be with us. She warned you about what might happen to us, I think that she is trying to keep everyone safe and the protection may be wearing thin. She told you the most important thing she could, how to end it all, but that's going to be hard, Tommy," Trini said, as Tommy nodded his head.

"I know, but what if it is a trick to get us to fight the Machine Empire?" Tommy asked, as Trini gave him a no-nonsense look.

"Then that is a chance you'll have to take, it's not about all of you anymore, it's about getting her back and the others will understand that," Trini said, as Tommy smiled at her. They were beginning to go down a long road that they knew nothing about and it was only the beginning of their trials.

AN: Thank you so much for reading and please tell me what you think about it.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything associated with this story.

As the days went by, Kimberly Hart became more stable, yet she constantly changed her mood. At one moment, she might recognize everyone of them and then everything would change and they were all strangers again, except Billy, Trini, and Zack, the latter of which, Kim never let get more than a few feet away from her. All of the things seemed to be going fine, until the day that Tommy was captured.

"Zordon! Tommy's gone!" Katherine yelled into her communicator and Billy turned around to look at the viewing globe. Sure enough, Tommy had disappeared and the three of them knew that all hell could break loose in a matter of minutes. Kimberly had been speaking gibberish about them coming to get Tommy and now it had finally happened, in a most brutal fashion.

"We'll begin looking for him, Katherine," Zordon said, as the rangers continued to battle the monster Sprocket sent to them. "Billy, begin searching for Tommy, we do not have long."

"Yes, Zordon," Billy said, as he and Alpha began scanning the area for Tommy, meanwhile Trini and Zack were seeing an odd side of Kimberly.

----------

"Something's wrong, something's really wrong," Kim said, jumping up from her position on the couch and walking over to the door.

"What's wrong?" Trini asked, as Kim fell to the floor and let out a horrible scream, which she knew Billy must hear at the front of the Power Chamber. Zack and Trini ran over to Kim, but she was already glowing an eerie shade of pink, a most ominous sign.

"This isn't good," Zack said, as Kim suddenly stood up and looked at the two of them.

"They have Tommy," Kim said, as she looked at the two of them. "They'll have you next, we have to get Tommy back."

"They have Tommy?" Trini asked, as Kim let out another scream and fell back to the floor. "Zack, go get Billy. She shouldn't be glowing like this and we both know it."

----------

"I've found him," Billy said, as the other rangers arrived and they saw a picture of the red ranger and he was listening and doing as Sprocket ordered, but there was something that worried him more. Tommy was now divulging information about the rangers he would have never said under normal circumstances.

"Where is he?" Aisha asked as they heard a horrible scream and they all looked towards the back room.

"I was afraid we would encounter a problem here. Kimberly is now fighting for Tommy and the torture has just begun, if we do not break Tommy soon, I am afraid we will lose Kimberly, forever," Zordon said, as Zack barged into the room and they saw a shot of pink light from behind him.

"She'll die?" Rocky asked, as Zordon nodded his head, as slightly as possible and Zack froze on the spot. He completely forgot his news and was trying to process everything. Had Zordon just agreed that Kim would die if they didn't do something soon?

"Zack..."Billy said, waving his hand in front of his eyes and Zack snapped out of his trance.

"We have to do something," Zack said, as Trini was thrown threw the door by another pink burst of light. "Now."

"Is there anyway to get to Tommy now and take Kimberly with you?" Trini asked, as she stood up and started rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'm afraid that Kimberly will have to go in as a last resort. She is far too unstable to go for a long period of time," Zordon said, as Kim fell onto the floor and tried to move closer to them.

"I'll go, just get me there, Zordon," Jason said, as Kim moaned again and they all seemed to exchange glances. Kimberly was a fighter, but they didn't know if she was going to be able to fight Tommy and Sprocket.

----------

"Red Ranger, who are you going to defeat?" Sprocket asked, as Tommy turned his head slowly from side to side.

"The Power Rangers," Tommy said, viciously, as Jason landed in the ring, fully morphed and ready to fight. Tommy and he had always been a close draw, but every time that Tommy was evil the close draw became a little bit harder to attain.

"Tommy," Jason said, as Tommy looked over at him.

"Gold ranger, you do not know me and Tommy is not who I am anymore," Tommy said, as Jason just looked at him and then ducked out of the way as Tommy threw a punch at him.

"I'm your friend, don't do this Tommy," Jason said, as Tommy viciously blasted him and he landed on the ground with a thud. That was when the other four rangers teleported into the battle.

"Tommy, please listen to us," Katherine begged as Tommy went after her and Jason then stood up. The other rangers should not suffer because of his misguidance. They were going to get to Tommy, somehow.

"It's us," Rocky said, as Tommy threw him out of the way.

"We're you're friends," Aisha said, as Tommy cast her aside as well.

"Friends? I don't have friends. All of my friends betrayed me and took away those I loved. They will give that back," Tommy said, as they all stood, wide-eyed, behind their masks. He couldn't be talking about Kimberly, they hadn't done anything with her.

"Tommy please," Katherine said, and in desperation she jerked off her helmet and powered down. "We're your friends."

"No, my friends would not have taken her away," Tommy said, as Zordon teleported Kim in and she let out an agonized scream, which caused all involved to stare over at her.

"Fight, please, fight it Tommy!" Kim yelled as she then felt another rip of pain go through her body and sparks of pink flew from her body.

"They'll kill her, Tommy, please listen to us," Jason begged, as Tommy looked from the stand where Sprocket was standing over to the Gold Ranger.

"Don't listen to him, she is safe, you saw it," Sprocket said, as Kim let out another scream of pain and more pink sparks showered down around her.

"Tommy, please," Kim managed to say as she fell down and gripped her ears as a horrible voice was now yelling in her head. "Make it stop!"

"Yes, make it stop, Tommy," Sprocket said, as Tommy walked towards her, completely ignoring the other rangers, who had all powered down, in an attempt to get him to recognize what he was trying to hurt.

"As you command," Tommy said, as he began walking towards Kimberly and they knew, all too late that if they didn't get between the two of them, Tommy would do just as they said.

"Tommy, please," Kimberly pleaded, as she saw the blurs of the other rangers coming towards them, but she felt they wouldn't get there in time.

"You are not Kimberly," Tommy said, drawing out his blaster and aiming it towards Kim, as another shower of pink sparks fell around them.

"I love you!" Kim screamed out, as she tried to stand, but she fell back down because of the intense pain that continued to go through her body, as Tommy's mind was fighting with hers as well. "Tommy, please listen."

"I'm sorry, you are not Kimberly," Tommy said, darkly, as Kim fought all the pain, stood up and gave him a hug, with his blaster being thrown to the ground.

"If I'm not Kimberly, then why am I here, suffering like this? Who else would do this to try to protect you, Tommy?" Kim asked, as she clung to him and felt the pink sparks fly again. She wished that he would break out of it with out her dying, but it seemed that was what was going to happen.

"But you can't be...they told me that you were fine. I'd have you back as soon as I defeated the rangers," Tommy said, utterly confused as the girl that was clutching to him was growing weaker by the second. "What proves you're Kimberly?"

"White knight," Kimberly muttered as she fell into unconsciousness and he held her up, letting that phrase sink in. He didn't know what chances he would be taking, but he bet on this girl other than any information he had been told.

"Red ranger, power down," Tommy said, as he held her even closer, as the pink sparks continued to shower down around him. "Zordon, get us out of here."

"Zordon can not help you now, stupid little ranger. Your precious Kimberly will die, along with you and your fellow rangers," Sprocket said, as Tommy felt a particularly strong blast come from Kim and he looked down at her. Surely he had to be lying, but the look on her pale face let him know that he did not have very long if he was going to save her. "Good-bye little rangers."

AN: Alright, I know that it is a cliff-hanger, but I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can.


	6. Chapter 6

In a flash of light, they were gone and Sprocket, stood there in shock. How had the rangers slipped through his hands yet again? How had they managed to get away and how was the former pink ranger still alive? He had planned it all so perfectly and yet it had still failed. He had still failed to get to the rangers and truly break them apart.

"Kim. Come on, wake up," Tommy said, as the pink sparks faded away and she opened her eyes, feebly, to see what was going on.

"I didn't think you would believe me. I thought you were going to let me go," Kim said, weakly, as Tommy shuddered at the thoughts that went through his mind at that. If he had not believed her, she would be dead right now and it would all be his fault. "It's not going to last long Tommy. They're going to come after me again."

"Kimberly, we will fight it," Zordon's voice boomed as they looked up and saw Trini, Zack, Billy, and Alpha looking over at them. "Take her to the medical bay, Tommy."

"Yes, Zordon," Tommy said, as he picked her up and Kim gave Zordon a grateful nod.

"This isn't the end, is it?" Jason asked, as Billy gravely shook his head no.

"They still control her to a point, but she fought it so hard today that she was able to break free and that was what caused a lot of the sparks," Billy said, as Jason's faced dawned with realization.

"Will she die if she is able to truly be free of this menace?" Jason asked, as Trini looked over at him and began crying.

"We don't know, Jason, but we can't buy her much more time. If they take Tommy or any of you, I fear that she will die. She fought more to get them to release Tommy than he did," Billy said, as they all stood there, in complete silence.

"We can't tell, Tommy," Jason said, solidly, as they all nodded their heads in agreement. He didn't need to know that no matter what they did; there might be a chance that she would die because of this. "It would kill him to even think that we might not have a chance."

"There are some things that Alpha and I can do, Jason, but that will come when the time is right," Zordon said, as they peered up at him. If they could do something about it, then why were they having this conversation at all?

----------

"Tommy, why did you take so long?" Kim asked, as Tommy took in a deep breath. He didn't know the way to answer the question, but he sure as hell was going to try. She deserved that much after everything that she had done for him today and everything that she had sacrificed.

"They showed me that they had you and that you were safe. I believed them, for some odd reason, I believed them, when they told me that I would get you back," Tommy said, as Kim nodded her head.

"Like I told you before, my time is going to be short whenever I'm like this. I don't know how much help you will be able to give me, Tommy, but keep on working, no matter what happens to me. I don't want for Trini and Zack to go through this," Kim said, urgently, as Tommy nodded his head.

"I'm going to go check on what Zordon has to say," Tommy said, as Kim grabbed his hand and shook her head no.

"Please stay, maybe they'll stay away longer this time," Kim said, as Tommy smiled at her. She didn't want this anymore than the rest of them, but she was willing to face it, knowing that it would help them.

"Okay," Tommy said, as he sat down next to her and she leaned back against him. "Get some sleep, you deserve it, Kim."

"I love you, Tommy. Don't ever forget it," Kim said, as she closed her eyes and he gently placed his arms around her.

------------

"_Kimberly, my dear, you failed so horribly," Sprocket said, as Kimberly glared over at him. She was tired of this and she was well on her way to getting out._

"_I didn't fail, you don't own me and you will not hurt Tommy," Kim said, with all the defiance she could muster. She was weak, to the point that it was almost useless for her to even fight, but she was not going to give up. She had gotten herself into this hellhole trying to protect Tommy and she doubted she would ever get out of it, unless the rangers pulled out some sort of magic._

"_I came, very close today, Kimberly. You should not lose control like that anymore," Sprocket said, as she groaned and the pink sparks flew from her body. "It's funny what those little power emissions can do to you."_

"_I will protect Tommy and I will find my way back to him. He knows enough, he'll get me back," Kim said, as Sprocket looked at her and she fell down to the ground._

"_Tommy does not know the beginning, dear Kimberly. How will he feel when he finds out that you really meant that letter?" Sprocket asked, as Kim stood for the first time and walked the distance between the two of them._

"_I did it to protect him from you and I thought it would work. I will escape you and I will return to them," Kim said, as Sprocket reached out to touch her and Kim threw him across the room with a strong burst of energy._

"_It's funny what these little power emissions can do to you," Kim said, with malice in her voice, as Sprocket stood up and summoned the guard to take her back to her cell._

"_Yes, little ranger, keep fighting. You'll die of it, eventually," Sprocket said, as Kim blasted him again and then peacefully went with the guard, knowing that she did not want to cause anymore trouble than she had already managed today._

------------

"Something doesn't seem right about all of this," Katherine muttered as Jason walked past her in the Zord bay. "Why aren't they telling us everything?"

"I don't know, Kat, but Zordon and Alpha must have their reasons to do this, they wouldn't unless they thought it would help," Jason said, as Aisha looked over at him. She didn't know what to believe anymore, but she was sure that Zordon and Alpha were not doing this to help or protect them.

"Help what Jason? It surely won't help Tommy if we lose her. He has the right to know that there is a chance nothing can be done to cure this," Aisha said, as Rocky and Adam sat down on the floor. "He deserves to know that much. It'll kill him if she dies."

"Why worry him more than he already is? I don't necessarily agree with everything that Zordon thinks is best, but we have to listen to him," Jason said, as Trini and Zack walked in.

"Jason, it's time we really know what is going on here. She's been here for a month and the only improvement we see is when she remembers our name every blue moon. It can't be good for Tommy to live on the hope that she'll say his name that day when he comes in," Kat said, as Trini and Zack looked at the floor. They knew what was going on and they knew that the rangers really didn't need to know. Billy's diagnostic tests, at first, were completely useless, but now things were starting to show up that frightened all of them.

"Kat, you know Tommy doesn't live like that. He's resigned himself to the fact that she probably won't remember him. He's learned to live with the new Kimberly and no matter what that damn letter said, he wants to believe they have a chance. We all do," Rocky said, as he had to admit that the red ranger was certainly happier when Kim remembered his name, but after his first breakdown, he was fine with her asking his name as many times as she wanted to do so.

"I know, but what if there is no hope? What if we are just doing this so she won't die from the pink sparks in front of everyone else?" Kat asked as they all looked over at her.

"We don't like to talk about death and you know that," Jason said, solemnly as Trini looked at Zack and then took in a deep breath.

"Well, talking about it is the only way you're going to learn to face it," Trini said, quietly, as Jason looked over at her. He knew that she knew far more than he did about what was going on, but he could only wonder if those secrets she kept were really life threatening to those spoken of.

"Face it?" Aisha asked, as Trini nodded her head and took a feeble step forward.

"What Zordon told you tonight is true, it may kill Kimberly and it may kill Zack and I as well. The only reason we have not gone into the same condition is because of how hard she is fighting for us. The sparks is the attempt of her energy to protect her. She may never be the same and Zordon has said that the only way we will rid her of this is to defeat the Machine Empire," Trini said, as they all sat there for a few moments, taking it all in.

"But they are stronger now than they were a few months ago," Adam said, as Trini gave him a sad look.

"Yes and that is partially because of Kimberly. Zordon believes that Sprocket just saw her as Tommy's girlfriend, but once he took over her mind, he found out about her ranger past. He has been draining her, constantly, of every power she ever had and if the information we have gathered is true, we do not have much longer before those powers are gone. She may become a danger to us then and we may have no choice about what happens. We may just have to let it run its course," Trini said, as Billy walked in and grabbed her by the arm and then pulled her out of the room.

"Trini, come with me," Billy said, as the other rangers now sat in the room, confused as to what was happening.

"What's wrong, Billy?" Trini asked, as they walked into the medical bay and saw Tommy lying on the floor, with a gash in the side of his head and Kimberly lying a few feet away, with a deep slash across her torso. "What did this?"

"I have no clue, Trini, but whatever it was is not happy with Kimberly and I think Tommy was merely attacked by coincidence," Billy said, as Kimberly's eyes fluttered open and she then slumped back over. "Get the others to go home. They don't need to see this and you and Zack need to be briefed."

AN: I know, another cliff-hanger, in a way, but it's not as bad I will go ahead and tell you that the both of them will survive this, unless I change my mind.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything associated with them.

"Billy, why?" Trini asked, as Zack and she sat down next to the unconscious Tommy and Kimberly. They had sent the others home, citing the fact that Kim and Tommy both needed some undisturbed rest. Now they were trying to get to the bottom of it all. The attack seemed completely unprovoked and it disturbed them all that it had occurred in the Command Center. This was supposed to be their safe haven, but it had been intruded upon by a vicious enemy.

"Don't ask, until I've told you everything that we have found," Billy said, as Zack continued to stare in horrified shock at what had happened. This type of thing was supposed to happen in a battle, not right under their noses.

"Okay," Trini said, as Billy took in a deep breath.

"We have finally been able to obtain some interviews with those encircling Kimberly right before she became mentally unstable. Her roommate reported that she was constantly talking in her sleep about saving 'Tommy from Sprocket'. She just thought it was odd and that was why she mentioned it. The nurses at the psychiatric facility didn't know what it meant, but they placed her roommate's name in the file, in case it ever did make sense. Then tonight, I am afraid that Sprocket attacked her. She was supposed to die in an attempt to save Tommy today and because she did not he wanted to make her pay. It is merely a bonus to him that Tommy was injured. He wants this team to fall apart and Kimberly may be the undoing of it all. If she dies, I don't know how they will take it," Billy said, as he tended to Kimberly's open wounds, with very little thought to the lack of clothing and awkwardness of the moment. He had become a doctor of these types of wounds over the last several years and he just did, he didn't think about how it might look.

"Billy, they deserve to know," Zack said, as Billy nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, but when will the time be right? When will we have the chance to explain that everything that has happened so far has been to protect them, starting with the letter to Tommy? And when will we be able to explain that the chances are so slim that she will make it, that we are just trying to give Tommy a few more days to be with the person he loves? Zack, I don't know if they can take it," Billy said, as Trini looked down at Kimberly.

"Billy, if she's fighting this hard for them, shouldn't they at least know what will really happen if they don't do something soon? Yes, they suspect that she might die, but it is almost a guarantee if they do not defeat the Machine Empire within the next month. Then who's next? Me? Zack? What about you? They could come after you too, you are just as valuable as the rest of us. Billy, all they are asking is for the truth and I know telling Tommy may not be wise, but the rest of them deserve to be able to have a chance to help him when this is all over. They need to be prepared for what might happen," Trini said, as Tommy groaned, but did not wake up.

"You know they don't like to talk about death," Zack said, as Trini looked at him. "They deserve to know, but I agree, I don't know if they can take it. Trini, Jason won't be able to take it if he knows that you're possibly next. He's not doing good with just thinking about it, but let's face it, you have to be pretty high on their list. They have to know about the two of you."

"I can fight it," Trini said, adamantly, as Billy looked up and gave her a sad look of disagreement. None of them could fight it, it was much stronger than anything he had ever seen before.

"Trini, you can't and neither can Kimberly. Like you said, we don't have much time to do anything about it. We have to use the remaining time to help Tommy let go. If she survives, that's wonderful, but they can't lose two people. I don't know if they'll survive one death," Billy said, as he wiped his eyes to try to stop the tears that were leaking out. "They have to protect this world, we sit on the wayside now. I don't know how we will keep them in their best form if a fellow ranger dies."

"What happened?" Tommy asked, as he sat up and looked over at Kimberly, who Billy was sewing up. "Billy, what's going on?"

"It's Sprocket," Billy said, blandly as Tommy looked at him. They were not telling him something, but he didn't have a clue what in the world it was.

"Tell me. Whatever it is, tell me. Billy, I should know about it, whatever it is," Tommy said, as they all looked at the floor and Billy then continued about his business.

"Tommy, you don't need to know," Billy said, as Tommy stood up and walked over to him. He then grabbed his hands and stopped him from attending to Kimberly. He may have been hurt and she surely was, but there were some things that were more important to him and he felt information was the only thing he might be able to grasp. "Tommy..."

"Tell me, I need to know," Tommy said, as the three of them exchanged a glance. They were not sure that he could really take that type of blow, he was not there when Jason mentioned that Kim might die. They had been trying to feed him with good news, but it didn't seem that it was going to all be good anymore. "It's that bad?"

"Yes it is, Tommy you need to deal with being a ranger right now and we'll take care of Kim," Billy said, as Tommy looked at Trini and saw she was struggling with this lie.

"How long do I have?" Tommy asked, bluntly, as Billy dropped the needle he was holding and stared over at Tommy. Zack and Trini were also staring at him. How in the world could he have figure it out? "How much longer do I have with her?"

"A month, maybe less," Billy said, as Tommy nodded his head and then walked towards the doors. "Where are you going?"

"To tell the others. We have a hell of a month ahead of us," Tommy said, as he walked through the medical bay doors and Billy looked at the other two.

"He's stronger than the rest of us," Trini said, as she sat down. "Now, how are we going to help them?"

-------------

Tommy quickly walked through the Command Center and then teleported himself to the Youth Center, knowing that he was likely to find the rangers there. He didn't know if he would be able to get them alone, but he wanted them to know the truth. He didn't know much, but a month was not a long time to use and they couldn't waste it away the way they had on other things. If she died, it was going to be because they hadn't got there in time, not because they weren't fighting like hell to get there. He just hoped that they would jump on the bandwagon as well.

"What happened to you?" Jason asked, as Tommy walked up and sat down next to him at the bar. The gash on his forehead was still wide open and Tommy merely touched it, looked at the blood and shrugged. His injury was not nearly as bad as the one that Billy was stitching up on Kim.

"We all need to talk," Tommy said, as Jason nodded his head and looked around for the others, who were in various places around the Youth Center.

"Go on outside and we'll come out there," Jason said, as Tommy nodded his head. He had to admit that he was getting some odd looks, but he didn't really give a rat's ass about that right now. They had things that they had to do.

"What happened to you?" Kat asked, as she reached up and touched the cut on Tommy's brow. "Tommy, what's going on?"

"I'm not really sure about all of it. I don't know exactly what happened to me and Kim tonight, something about Sprocket. That's all that I could get out of them," Tommy said, as they stared at him as they walked down the sidewalk towards the empty park. He seemed very distracted and yet, even more focused than he had been in weeks. It seemed that something had been triggered in him and they were glad to see the more emotional side of him back. "We have a month."

"A month?" Jason asked, as Aisha let out a strangled sob and everyone but Tommy turned to look at her. They were just as confused as Jason about what a month meant. "A month to do what Tommy?"

"Defeat the Machine Empire," Tommy said, bluntly as they stared at him. "That's all the time that we have and we may not even have that long before she's gone. All I'm asking is that we try and give her a fighting chance."

"They told you?" Adam asked, as they had all assumed that keeping Tommy in the dark about Kimberly's condition would be the best for all of them.

"No, but when you know someone well enough you can tell when they are lying, it's easy. It didn't take long to figure out she might die. What else would they be keeping from me?" Tommy asked, as he wiped his eyes and then sat down on the grass of the park.

"But only a month?" Aisha choked out as Tommy shook his head yes.

"It may be even shorter than that, Aisha. The time that we have left, we have to try hard to get rid of them. I don't know if we'll be able to save her. I want to, but I don't know...I don't like to think that we can't do something," Tommy said, as Kat put her arm around him.

"Tommy, we'll try," Jason said, as Tommy looked over at him.

"I know, but trying may not be enough. If she goes, Trini or Zack will be next and who's to say they won't come after Billy, too? Guys, if she dies, it can't be in vain. We have to stop them before they get to the people she is protecting," Tommy said, as they all nodded their heads.

"Are you going back tonight?" Rocky asked, as Tommy nodded his head.

"Yeah, I have to get patched up and I want to check on her, she was not doing so hot when I left," Tommy said, as they nodded.

"Take all the time you need," Jason said, as Tommy just shook his head.

"No, I can't do that. Tomorrow we will begin our strategy planning, we have to do what we can as quickly as we can," Tommy stressed as he stood up and grasped his communicator. "I'll see you then."

"Guys, we have a lot of work to do tonight," Kat said, as Jason and the others agreed. They were sure that Tommy was not going to think about it and that meant it was up to them to try to figure things out. "Do you think Ernie will let us pull an all-nighter there?"

"We have to try," Jason said, as the others nodded their head. Sure, Ernie didn't know that they were rangers, but he was used to their all night study sessions and that was what they needed to have tonight. The things they were going to be studying, however, had nothing to do with school.

------------

"Thank goodness you're back. We need to patch you up, then you can go see Kim," Trini said, as Tommy walked in and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, I need to be patched up. They know and they'll help. Trini, I just can't roll over and give up, I've come too far to do that now, we all have," Tommy said, as Trini grabbed an alcohol pad and gently wiped it over the cut, which caused Tommy to flinch.

"Sorry I don't have the special touch," Trini said, as Tommy looked down and tried to compose himself. He knew exactly what she meant and he was not sure anyone else would ever have that touch. "Hey, you know that she wouldn't do this for any body. She loves you, no matter what you've been thinking."

"Yeah, that's what she tells me when she's here," Tommy said, as Trini carefully put a band-aid over the cut and Tommy stood up. "Can I see her?"

"Yeah, but she's probably not awake and when she does wake up, she'll be sore as hell. Billy is trying to put together his scar diminisher again. He thinks that he'll be able to get it to go away," Trini said, as Tommy gave her a fierce hug.

"Trini, whatever happens here, promise me that you won't give up, because it'll be one hell of a fight if they take her away," Tommy said, as Trini held him close and slowly let him go.

"Go see her, you need to," Trini said, as Tommy nodded his head.

"Billy, you can go now," Tommy said, as Billy looked up at him and nodded his head.

"If anything happens, come get me," Billy said, as Tommy nodded and then sat down next to her.

"Hey, why can't you come back and stay?" Tommy asked, as he grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I miss you and I love you, too."

Tommy then laid down his head to sleep. His night had not been pleasant, but he did not want to leave her alone, as he had promised, in a hope to keep the Machine Empire away. He wanted everything to go back to how it was six months ago, but it seemed impossible. He just hoped that he was not going to be around to see her die, especially to someone that he was supposed to protect her from.

AN: Sorry about confusing people last chapter, but I had to write that stuff, to bring in the different aspects of what was happening, all at once.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything affliated with them.

"Where am I?" Kimberly asked, as she looked over and saw that Tommy was holding her hand and had fallen asleep sitting up in a, rather uncomfortable looking, chair. She had thought that he would leave after she got settled down last night, but that didn't seem to be the case and she didn't remember him moving her to the bed either. So, what had happened last night after she went to sleep? "Tommy, wake up."

"Kim," Tommy said, as he jerked to life and Kim smiled over at him. Why did he look so frightened? What was going on that he looked like that? "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I think. What happened last night? I kinda blacked-out after we got back here," Kim said, as she tried to sit up and let out a pain filled groan. She felt as if she had been slashed from her shoulder to her hip and when she looked down that was what it seemed had happened. That was also when she realized she was shirtless, in front of Tommy for the first time in her entire life. "Where's my shirt?"

"I don't know, it was probably slashed to pieces. Here take mine," Tommy said, as Kim looked at him, as he pulled off his own and handed it over to her. She had seen him like this several times before and he had to admit that he didn't feel quite comfortable around her when she had on no shirt, no matter how bad the scar was across her chest.

"Tommy, I don't want to leave you, again," Kim said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks and he gathered her in his arms and pulled her into his lap. This was the first time that he had seen her break down like this and he had to admit that it scared him that she was feeling this way. She was becoming more desperate now and he knew the next time he saw the real here would be either right before she died or when they were able to get her back. Both of the options were realistic, but one was the most upsetting to him.

"I don't want you to go either, but what can we do? I don't know that we'll be able to defeat them in time. I'm so sorry, Kim. We're trying the best that we can," Tommy said, as Kim nodded her head and held onto him tighter. She knew the answer to it all, but did she want to tell Tommy? Did she want him to go somewhere and risk so much, for just her life?

"There is a way, Tommy, but it's dangerous, too dangerous really. You would have to go to another planet, there is a being called Yrian there. He holds the power to release me from this, but it's not going to be easy. It might take you days, weeks, or months to finish what he sets in front of you. That's time that you might not need to waste," Kim said, as Tommy stared at her. Why hadn't he heard of this earlier? Surely, Zordon knew that there was someone out there that could help Kim, so why hadn't he told him about it? "I've been trying to tell you, but every time I get close, they take me away again. I love you."

"I love you, too," Tommy said, as a ray of pink light bolted from her body and Tommy stared in horror, as the cut was ripped open again by an invisible sword and blood spilled onto his red shirt, turning it a deep crimson. "Billy! Billy!"

"What? Oh my goodness…" Billy said, as Tommy placed Kim back on the bed and then turned to look at Billy. Their time seemed to be fading faster than they expected. If she continued to be ripped to shreds, she was not going to last much more than a week and now he was not sure if he would even be able to do the mission in a week.

"We may be able to help her," Tommy said, as Billy looked at him. What did Tommy know that the rest of them didn't? "Is Zordon here?"

"Yes, I'll patch her up, Tommy," Billy said, as Tommy walked out of the medical bay and then began running to see Zordon. If this Yrian really did exist, then what was to stop him from going there to get whatever it was to save her? It seemed to be the only way, without going into a direct battle with the Machine Empire, while they seemed to be at the peak of their power.

"Zordon," Tommy said, as he ran in and saw the other rangers standing around Trini and Zack. Trini and Zack seemed to be filling them in on everything that Tommy had not been able to, but that didn't matter. They might not even have to make a plan if they could get to Yrian in time.

"Yes, Tommy," Zordon said, as he noticed a glint in the red ranger's eye that he had seen before. He had found someway to help her, but he knew that likely meant him sacrificing himself. The boy was willing to go through whatever trials that were ahead if it would save her, but Zordon also knew exactly how much the rangers needed him to be there with them as well. However, he didn't think he could ask him to not go and do what needed to be done. Tommy would hold that against him forever if they lost her.

"Yrian, he can help her," Tommy said, as Zordon sighed. He was sure that Kimberly would tell him some time, but he had hoped that it would not be so soon, although things were rather desperate right now. A month was not a long time and he understood that Tommy wanted to take full advantage of the time he had left. If Yrian could not help her, then they were going to have to defeat the Machine Empire, which was no small task to try to take up in less than a month.

"Yes, Tommy, he can, but the mission is extremely difficult," Zordon said, as Tommy just looked up at him. He didn't care how difficult it was, it was the first chance they had and it seemed to be the easier route, although Zordon knew that to not be so. Yrian was very peculiar about who he helped. "And you will not be able to have any communication with us while you are away."

"I don't care, Zordon, let me go. I have to try. It'll kill me if this is the one thing that can save her and I didn't try to do it," Tommy said, as Zordon looked over at Alpha. They had known about Tommy's feelings for Kimberly for a long time, but it now seemed that his feelings were making him forget his obligations. Although, Zordon had to admit that the biggest obligation Tommy had was to his heart and it was aching badly to get her back as soon as he could.

"As you wish Tommy, but this journey shall be exceedingly difficult and you will be truly alone," Zordon said, trying to see if Tommy might be frightened out of doing what he had already set his mind to.

"I don't care. If this will save her, then I am going. I have to, Zordon," Tommy said, as Alpha pressed in the teleportation sequence and looked up at Zordon.

"Let the power protect you," Zordon said, as Tommy nodded his head and then felt the familiar sensation of being teleported.

"Who is Yrian?" Jason asked, as Zordon let out another sigh. He did not want to have to explain this to the rangers, but he knew that it was the only thing that might give them some calm about the situation that they were now in.

"He is a powerful being, who has helped many be delivered from similar situations. However, Tommy will be hard fought to get help for Kimberly. His help is few and far between and Tommy will have to use every skill he has to make it to Yrian. Only those that make it to him have a chance to help their loved ones and even those that get there, may not receive help," Zordon said, as they looked at each other. Tommy was going on a quest that might not even help her, but he seemed to have known that and it did not bother him. He was doing the only thing he thought was right.

"So Tommy may die trying?" Kat asked, as Zordon nodded his head and a few of them let out strangled yells. They could not lose two rangers. It was going to be bad enough if they lost Kim, but if they lost Tommy as well…well they had never really thought of that as a possibility until now and it was immensely worrisome.

"Zordon, Kimberly's condition is far worse," Billy said, as Zordon just shook his head. Tommy must have said something that had upset her delicate internal balance, but if it was what Zordon suspected, then it might be able to fight off the Machine Empire for a tiny while on its own.

"Then, we can only hope that Tommy is able to do this quickly," Zordon said, as the other rangers looked up at him. They were not going to try to fight. They were just going to let Tommy do this, alone. "You may go to the lounge area and rest. I will contact you whenever I receive any updates."

"I can't believe that Tommy did that. Doesn't he know he might go as well?" Adam asked, as Trini walked up beside him.

"It won't matter to him if he lives and she dies. He is doing what he thinks is right. If she dies, he can say that he did everything that he could to save her," Trini said, as he could only nod. They could only hope that Tommy made it through and that everything that they had done could finally be justified.

AN: Let me know what you think about it!


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do, however, own the character of Yrian.

_Writing like this indicates a mental scene, not something that the rangers can actually see happening in front of them. _

When Tommy arrived in Yrian's homeland it suddenly occurred to him what he had gotten himself into. The barren land reminded him faintly of Phaedos, but there was one thing that stood out to him. He had no one and he was not even sure that he had his powers anymore. He hadn't bothered to ask Zordon whether they would still work here. At least when he went to Phaedos he had the others, but now, for the first time, he was truly alone and he was not sure how to deal with that.

"I guess any path is as good as the next," Tommy muttered to himself, as he looked at them. He knew that Kim would do this for him, so he had to do this for her. He walked for what seemed like hours, letting his thoughts wander back over the last few weeks.

At first, he thought that the little glimpses of Kim would come more often, but as time passed, he saw her less and less while the others saw her more. He thought that it all made sense now that he knew more of the truth. She couldn't see him; she couldn't allow herself to get close to him because it would hurt the both of them greatly. She, however, was able to give him snippets that gave him hope that one day everything would be fine. And tonight, she gave him what he had been searching for, a way to help her survive, a way to help him get her back. But what had it cost her? Was she going to even be alive when he returned to Earth?

He quickly changed his way of thinking as that thought crossed his mind. He had to be positive about this situation; he couldn't sit back and do absolutely nothing because he was bogged down with melancholy thoughts. But what were the others thinking? He had just left them without much notice or a real reason? Wait a second, he had a real reason even if they didn't like it. He was coming here to try to save Kimberly and if he didn't do it in time to save her, maybe he would be able to save Trini or Zack or Billy from going through what she was going through. He just hoped that they would understand it. He knew that Zordon would explain it far better than he ever would and he didn't need a reason to back down. They would try to convince him that they needed to come, but he needed to do this alone. This was not their fight and none of them needed to be here to see it happen.

It was not that he didn't love his team, goodness, they had been there for him when it seemed that the world was coming to an abrupt end. It was just that he felt this was his responsibility, not Jason's or Rocky's or Adam's or Trini's, it was his responsibility to own and take claim of. He knew they would have been willing and ready to come, but the Machine Empire was far too strong for all of them to leave. It was best if he was the only one to go, the Earth still needed its protectors, no matter what anyone said.

But they hadn't had the chance to say anything; he had just left them there. He didn't really have a choice though; he was not going to let anyone talk him out of what he knew was best. He just hoped that they would fully understand that when he got back. Kim might be gone by then, but if he was able to do everything within his power to save her, it would be all right. He would be able to find some way to live with himself, even if it was going to be a hard and miserable life withouth her.

"Thomas Oliver," Yrian said, as he landed in front of the boy, who immediately shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up at the man. He was a savage looking being with long, tangled blonde hair and cold black eyes. "Why have you come here? What service to do you request of me?"

"I request the life of Kimberly Hart to be saved from the Machine Empire," Tommy said, solemnly, as Yrian looked over him carefully.

"You love her. A wonderful girl she is, Mr. Oliver, but we shall see if she will be saved. Come, there is a task ahead of you," Yrian said, as Tommy merely followed not brave enough to ask any questions of the man. He was not sure that he wanted to hear the answers as he did not want to be disappointed or discouraged. "Ask what you are thinking."

"What is ahead of me?" Tommy asked as Yrian stopped at the edge of a cliff.

"You see the water down there?" Yrian asked as Tommy nodded his head yes. "Beneath it is the key to saving her and there is only one way down, to jump. You will then swim to the bottom and enter a chamber, which will bring you to this saving grace. Once you have touched it, you will be returned to Earth to administer the healing."

"That seems like it is far too easy," Tommy said as Yrian only looked over at Tommy and shrugged.

"It is only hard to those who half-heartedly try," Yrian said as Tommy nodded, then leapt into the water.

The water was uncharacteristically cold as Tommy plunged through the first several layers, when his eyes popped open he saw the pedestal with the powers to save Kim. He immediately started swimming towards it as his body began to grow accustomed to the cold water.

'There has to be a catch somewhere,' Tommy thought as he realized he was going to run out of air before he got to the pedestal unless something drastic happened. 'Morphing won't help me out of this one.'

'Come on Tommy, don't give up on me so easily,' Kim's voice rang in his head as he pushed himself even further and nodded. He couldn't give up on her, no matter how much he wanted to do so, he had promised that he would save her.

'I need help though, Kim,' Tommy thought as he felt a greater spurt of energy and he pushed himself even further and finally grabbed the pedestal and felt the greatest pain in the world.

---------

"Ah!" Kim yelled as the pink sparks began flying from her body yet again and Billy ran over to her, as Trini shoved Adam, Rocky, and Tanya from the room. "Oh God, he's not coming back."

"Yes he is, Tommy wouldn't bail out on you," Billy said as a shimmer of red sparks landed next to him and collapsed to the floor "Tommy?"

"Take care of her, I'll be fine," Tommy murmured as he passed out on the floor and Billy picked up the package he held.

"Kim, hold it," Billy said as she placed her hands on the package and closed her eyes before falling back.

"I got her," Jason said as he held Kim tightly to him. "What is that supposed to do?"

"According to Zordon, rid her body of Sprocket, but that may take a very long time," Billy said as Kat and Trini attended to Tommy.

"When do you think Tommy will wake up?" Trini asked as Zack helped them put Tommy on a cot.

"Whenever she comes around," Billy said as Kim began rolling around in Jason's arms.

---------

_"You'll never get away from me," Sprocket said as he slapped Kim down and she stood up and glared at him with all her might._

_"He found a way to save me, he's taking me back. Time for you to realize that you've lost and they've won," Kim said as she violently fought back and threw Sprocket into the nearest wall. "You can't break me down anymore."_

_"You'll die before he'll be able to set you free," Sprocket said menacingly as he stood up and Kim smiled over at him. "How can you smile at a time like this?"_

_"Because he loves and he'll take care of me, no matter what you try to do," Kim said as she looked down at her body, which was starting to shimmer. _

_"You won't leave!" Sprocket yelled as he ran at her and went through her body._

_"I guess he's protecting me from you now and I'll soon be out of this hell hole and be able to help the rangers defeat your sorry ass," Kim said as Sprocket ran at her again with similar results. _

_"You will never leave me!" Sprocket yelled as he grasped at her and she laughed at him. _

_"I'll leave when they'll take me back, you just have to accept that I am not protecting Tommy anymore, he's protecting me," Kim said as she shimmered away and Sprocket raged around the cell. He had lost his only way in for the Power Rangers and his father was not going to like that. _


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers, I do, however, own the character of Yrain.

Morning dawned quietly for the rangers in the Power Chamber. Kim had stopped thrashing about hours ago and Tommy was still as motionless as ever. The other rangers had taken shifts watching over the two of them, but nothing had happened during all these hours of watching and hoping one of them would open their eyes and smile up at them.

"Zordon, is there really a chance they won't come out of this?" Kat asked as Zordon could only nod his head yes. He had known the risks when Tommy left, but they had now been greatly magnified. There was a certain window of time where he expected the two of them to be out, but he had not thought it would be this long at all, even he was beginning to worry that something was seriously wrong. "Why'd you let him go if you knew he might never come back to us? That he would never be the Tommy we knew again."

"Tommy would not have been satisfied to sit here and watch her die. He knew, deep down what it might cost him and he was fine with it, I had to let him go and do what he could. He loves her more than anything else in this world and to keep that sort of love bottled up, is asking for a disaster. He had done that long enough, Katherine; I couldn't ask it of him anymore," Zordon said as Kat just stared at him.

"He's our best ranger, what will we do without him if he never wakes up?" Kat asked as Billy placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked back at him.

"We'll survive, find a replacement, and move on, there is nothing else that can be done if Tommy doesn't wake up," Billy said as Kat glared at him.

"It's easy for all of you to understand, to be nice about this. When they wake up, I have lost him to her; I'll never get any chance to see what might have been," Kat said as Billy placed his arms around her and she continued to fume, although his comfort was what she truly wanted.

"Kat, Tommy and Kim may change again, but even you admitted it was best to let the two of them be. You went out on one date with him and the two of you didn't make a decision about your relationship, don't blame the fact that you might not have him on her. She can't help what happened to her," Trini said as Kat shook herself out of Billy's arms and walked off.

"I'll take care of her," Billy said as Jason nodded as he watched Billy walk off after Kat.

"I wish they were back with us, it would make it easier. On all of us," Trini said as Jason nodded his head in agreement.

"But will they be themselves when they wake up? Let's face it, Tommy took some hard blows to get to her. He may not even remember everything that has been happening," Rocky said as they all looked at each other. That possibility had not crossed their minds and now that it did it scared them to death.

-----------

"Mmm," Kim murmured as she rolled over on her cot and Adam motioned for Tanya to look at her. She hadn't moved in hours and now they were concerned about what was happening. "Tommy…Tommy…"

"He's not awake, sweetie, but he's right here," Tanya said as Kim looked up at her, slightly confused as to who she was and how she knew Tommy. "He'll wake up soon, don't worry."

"Who are you?" Kim asked as Adam stared at the two of them and Tanya looked back at him. They had all thought that her memory would be back once Sprocket's influence had been lifted. "Hey Adam. Can you answer my question, please?"

"I'm Tanya Sloan," Tanya said as Kim smiled over at her then looked at Tommy on the cot beside her. "I replaced Aisha when she decided to stay in Africa."

"It's nice to meet you. How long have I been here Adam? I can only remember glimmers here and there and I'm not even sure if everything that I did see happen was real," Kim said as Adam pulled over a chair and sat down next to her bed.

"It's been about a month since we stole you away from Florida," Adam said as Kim nodded her head.

"Can you give me sometime alone with him? Maybe I can get him to wake up," Kim said as Adam nodded and the two of them quietly left the room. "Hey handsome, it's been a long time since I last saw you. I'm sorry I put you through all of this, I didn't mean to. I thought I could help you, but I hurt you even more, I'm so sorry."

"Mmm," Tommy murmured as he rolled from side to side. He just could not manage to shake his sleep off.

"I love you, Handsome," Kim whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "I'll wait as long as you want me to."

"Kim?" Tommy questioned as his eyes fluttered open and he looked down at the woman lying across his chest. "Beautiful, are you really awake?"

"Yeah, I am, Tommy," Kim said as he sat up and looked over at her. She looked more like his Kim now than she had when they brought her in, but was she really back with them? Was he going to have to go through more upsets to really get her back? Or had what he done not been enough to save her?

"You remember me now, don't you?" Tommy asked as Kim nodded her head yes and he then gave her a happy hug. "Are you going back to Florida?"

"I don't think I should, I tend to get in trouble when I am too far away from you," Kim said as he hopped off the cot and spun her around. "I think we need to tell the others that I'm alive and well."

"Yeah, we should probably go do that," Tommy said as he reached over to hold her hand.

"Both of you are fine?" Adam asked as the walked out of the medical bay and nodded their heads yes. "I think we need to have some sort of celebration after everything that has happened. We all deserve it."

"After we tell the others, they deserve to know," Kim said as they turned the corner and walked into the main chamber.

"Look who's up and walking again," Tanya said as they other rangers turned to see Kim and Tommy walk in.

"You're all right?" Trini asked as she threw her arms around Kim in a tight hug.

"I'm fine Trini, I don't remember a lot of the last few months but other than that I'm okay," Kim said as Trini released her and Jason gave her a hug, then the others that were standing around followed suit. "Zordon, sorry for all the trouble that I caused. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into."

"You led the rangers back to their true selves," Zordon said as Tommy placed his arm around her. "I think Billy will be glad to see you."

"Not Kat, though?" Kim asked as Zordon merely shook his head in a noncommittal way. He was not sure what Kat would do to Kim when she saw her. "I guess I expected it."

"Come on, let's go," Tommy said as Kim walked away with him as the others continued to celebrate.

"Maybe I should talk to her alone. It'll be fine if I go alone, you didn't do anything, I did it," Kim said as Tommy shook his head no as he walked up the ladder ahead of her.

"Billy, it's not that I don't like her, but let's face it; Tommy will never be interested in me again," Kat said as Billy gave her a hard look. He had seen someone come up out of the corner of his eye, but he was going to continue with this because he had to. He knew if he didn't, he might never say what he really needed to say to her.

"But why cling onto him? Kat the only reason you went out with him was because I didn't have the balls to ask you out myself," Billy said as Kat's eyes widened and Tommy just smiled. He had never heard Billy speak like this, but it was good to know that he had this side to him as well.f They had all wondered what it would take to get Billy to this point and they had now found out what it was.

"Well, you didn't expect me to wait around forever, did you?" Kat asked as Billy shook his head and turned to walk off towards the ladder.

"We're alive, you two can stay up here and duke it out, like good little rangers," Kim said as she grabbed Tommy's hand and pulled him towards the ladder. She did not want to stay up there to witness the rest of this.

"Billy, answer me," Kat demanded as Billy went and sat down on the ledge. He couldn't dare go down to be with the rest of them knowing that the others would question him because of what Kim and Tommy saw. He trusted that they wouldn't tell, to a point, but in some ways he wished they would so that they would make it all better.

"I just thought that you would wait long enough to give me a chance," Billy said as Kat looked over at him. "But I was wrong about you; you fell for the person that everyone wants. Who wants someone like me after you've been infatuated with Tommy? He's perfect to every girl that spends time with him."

"Billy, you're a great guy," Kat said as Billy looked over at her with a great deal of disdain. "Would you have waited for me?"

"I would have Kat, but you didn't understand what I was going through. I had just lost my powers. I couldn't get myself together and right when I do you go out on a couple of dates with Tommy. Do you understand why I may be a tad bit bitter because the one good thing that I have going for me decides that she doesn't want me?" Billy asked as Kat sat down next to him and placed her hand on his knee.

"Give me another chance Billy, I didn't really know how you felt," Kat said as Billy just shook his head and stood up.

"We'll see Kat," Billy said as he left the roof and she could only sit there in shock. Billy had never acted like this before with her, but she guessed she deserved it. She had been interested and still was interested in Billy, but she fell for Tommy. Tommy had not been the perfect boyfriend, but he had been exactly what she imagined him to be. That was why she was having such a hard time adjusting. She could act fine in front of Tommy, but she knew that she wasn't, not any more. Not now that she saw what she had ruined for a few days of happiness with someone that would never fully love her.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where'd you come from?" Ernie asked as Kim walked in with the other rangers and Ernie held out a drink for her. He was slightly shocked to see her standing there, it seemed impossible that she would be here. "Are you taking a vacation?"

"Not a vacation, more like a permanent move, I can try to continue my gymnastics here. I learned that I need to be here, I'm dangerous when I'm away from here," Kim said as she took the drink from Ernie and gave him a nod of thanks. "You haven't happened to see Billy or Kat, have you?"

"No, well, I actually saw them, but neither stayed long. They seemed pretty nervous about the chance of bumping into each other," Ernie said as Kim gave Tommy a worried look. After Billy had stormed out of the Command Center, they all knew something was wrong, but when Kat left crying they had no choice but to spill what had happened on the roof. Their friends were not idiots and they had to know that somehow that was linked.

"That's just great," Tommy said as Kim looked over at Trini and she shook her head. "Thanks Ernie. You want to keep looking for them?"

"I don't think we need to, Tommy. I think that they need to take care of this themselves because with us around, they'll just keep dancing around each other. They need to get some answers before we need to go anywhere near them," Trini said as they joined the others and Kim leaned against Tommy.

"I've missed this," Kim said as Tommy smiled down at her.

"We're probably surprising some people," Tommy said as Kim smiled and just shook her head.

"I don't care, I'm not acting like I haven't been through one hell of a fight and am happy to have my boyfriend back," Kim whispered as the others smiled. "Rocky, how you doing?"

"I'm okay, we have a pretty good idea about where Aisha might be and hopefully we can bring her back someday," Rocky said as Kim nodded.

"I guess I have to go register tomorrow," Kim said as Tommy nodded and he smiled as Kim placed a kiss on his cheek.

"You will have to Kim, but that is not a bad thing. You'll be home; we'll all be home," Tommy said as he gently rubbed her cheek and kissed her, surprising everyone in sight.

-----------

"Billy," Kat said as she walked up to him in the park and he looked back at her with a hurt expression. "Billy, I'm so sorry."

"I know you are," Billy said, quietly, as she gave him a desperate glance and reached over and squeezed his hand. She wanted him to be able to talk to her again. "I didn't mean to make you feel like I was hopeless, that you wouldn't be able to have me. Kat, I messed us up just as much as you did."

"But you didn't go out and try to date someone else, you actually just lived your life and were satisfied, I wasn't. I knew who I wanted, but I knew I couldn't have you, if I did have you, then things were going to go wrong, we'd never be happy with each other," Kat said as the tears streamed down her face and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Kat, please don't doubt it, because as much as I have doubted it myself, I know that the two of us can at least try. I know that we didn't really give each other a fair chance before," Billy said as she looked up at him, confused as to what he wanted. "I know I have been stupid, but I won't do it again."

"Billy sometimes you can't erase everything with words," Katherine said as Billy looked down at her.

"Actions speak louder than words, Kat and you wouldn't be so upset right now if you didn't feel the same. Everything has been difficult lately, especially on you. I know that it hurt to see Tommy love her more than you, but Kat, we all knew it. We all knew how he felt, even if it killed him, he'd save her, we all know that. Kat, I want you…no one else," Billy whispered as she looked at him and saw the sincerity in his face. "Don't make me beg you."

"Beg? Billy, you're not a ranger. What if Mondo comes after you because you're dating me? I don't know if I can risk you," Kat said, hysterically, as Billy just shook his head and lifted her chin up towards him.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take, if you will take it with me. Kat, there is nothing in this world that I want more and I don't want us to end up wondering what could have been. You don't deserve that," Billy said as he gave her a gentle kiss and she pulled him in close, needing to truly feel him.

"I'm so sorry, Billy," Kat whispered as she felt him nod and he gently wiped away her tears.

"It's okay, we both messed up," Billy said as they heard a loud boom of thunder and Billy lazily looked up at the sky, wondering what could possibly go wrong now.

"A think it's just a thunderstorm," Kat said with a smile as Billy pulled her up and they started running towards the nearest alcove of trees that they could find. "We're going to get soaked."

"I don't mind," Billy said as he looked over and saw another couple running towards their grove.

"Damn this weather," Tommy muttered as he shook out his hair under the safety of the trees.

"It's not so bad, Tommy," Kim said with a smile as he pulled her in close and they then noticed that Billy and Katherine were standing only a couple of feet away. "Hey guys, did you manage to work all of that out?"

"Yeah, we did," Kat said simply, as Billy looked over at Tommy who just shook his head.

"I'm not such a great boyfriend Billy," Tommy said as Kim nodded her head in agreement, which caused Katherine to laugh.

"He forgets, a lot of things, especially like your birthday, anniversary, his own birthday…you know just the normal forgetfulness gene that most guys have," Kim said with a smile as they looked over at her. They could not believe that she had made such a full recovery so quickly.

"But for some reason you are still with me," Tommy said looking down at her and she just shook her head.

"I'm still with you because you were willing to almost kill yourself for me," Kim said, quietly, as Kat and Billy looked at each other. "I remember what I told him he'd have to do. Sprocket thought that Tommy wouldn't be willing to take his own life in order to save mine, he was wrong. Love you can die for, I guess."

"A love the both of you almost died for," Billy said as Kim nodded her head.

"We're fools in love, what can you say?" Kim said as Billy managed to nod. This last month had taught him more about love than he ever thought he would be able to learn. People say that a mother is willing to lay down her life for her kids and a father the same thing, a husband and wife for each other, but a couple of teenagers was unheard of. Why did they care so much? Why couldn't they just let go and let everything be destroyed? It could be simply because they were Power Rangers, but no, that wasn't it. Love. A concept that many struggle to find and tame, was something that they felt so purely for each other that it didn't matter who they were with or what anyone else said. Love would save them and it had more than once already. Love, that in the end was all that a ranger really ever needed.


End file.
